<p>I realized this past weekend that I never taught my daughter how to iron. She is starting her third year in college and when I mentioned pressing a shirt she said she would most likely burn it. Since she never had clothes that needed ironing and I don’t iron anything except my husband’s work shirts, it was not even on my radar to teach her. She now has some business attire shirts that need ironing, so I will be teaching her on her next trip home…</p>
<p>So the question is, what skill did you realize too late that your child needed when they went off to college?</p>
<p>Why do you think your kid needs to learn to iron? A better life skill is reading garment labels…AND taking things out of the dryer immediately when they are dry. Then they don’t need to be ironed!</p>
<p>My son irons very well…he is a musician. But he also found an great cleaners that washes, presses and hangs up his dress attire (which he wears less frequently) for $2 a shirt.</p>
<p>GMT, this makes me laugh. Will never forget the evening when my S a junior in high school who ended up graduating Val, came to me because he had to send a snail mail letter out and was unsure about what to include in the address area and which side the stamp went on. I was floored! Never let him forget that one! </p>
<p>My kids learned to address snail mail letters when they applied to colleges as we gave the teachers stamped envelopes. I think I taught them everything, but I still got frequent calls freshman year, because they didn’t remember it. So don’t just show your kid how to do the laundry or iron, make them do enough loads that they are comfortable with it.</p>
<p>I taught youngest to cook pie and other desserts the year he was 16. His friends favorite activity that summer was too cook dinner together as they were all too cheap to go to restaurants. He’s now very comfortable around the kitchen.</p>
<p>These days, if they want to learn how to do any of these things, they can look on YouTube. Indeed, we are now using this–the following video brought about almost a miracle in our home:</p>
<p>Fill out insurance forms and send them in for reimbursement (he came home with nine-months of receipts), ride a bike (was mortified when someone suggested it for date), tie a tie (dad has shown him numerous times and he keeps “forgetting” - friends, boyfriends, roommates, even girls tie his tie for him).</p>
<p>I just did this for the first time a couple months ago. Actually had to look up online how to write the addresses and stuff.</p>
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<p>I didn’t know how to do this either. But when you need to you just show up at a bank and say “hey, I need to do this” and they’ll help you. </p>
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<p>For dress clothes. Personally I had to iron a few times a week in high school, that one would probably be hard to figure out if no one ever taught you. </p>
<p>I’ve still not ever figured out how to put a sheet on a mattress. I just don’t bother, sleep on the mattress directly. I probably should learn that though. </p>
<p>This thread is both funny and shocking. Mailing a letter? I’d never think that had to be taught, wow.
I really need to teach my kid to iron … she’s great in the kitchen, so-so at laundry. </p>
<p>There is no skill that is important besides:
-working hard and not waste your money and their own time at college
-make friends and help others
-manage their time effectively</p>
<p>Absolutley everything else could be leart on a fly or never. Do you really think that college kid cannot read instructions for any recipe or on any washer / drying or ask you or anybody else? My S. used to teach me how to cook on his breaks at college. And every washer / dryer / iron,…etc. is different anyway. My D. has survived without ironning and she is almost done with the Med. School. She does not know how and I do not believe that she ever will, but she owns an iron and a board, just in case, but what case, I have no idea. Still very proud of her and brag at any chance.</p>